$1000 to only wire for speakers is a little much.
To give you an idea of what I think is reasonable for new construction.... We just charged $1400 for wiring a dedicated media room.
The room was wired for:
- IR repeater system to the equipment closet.
- Two (2) 7 Meter SonicWave DVI cables from Impact Acoustics. Both from the equipment closet. One to the in-room DVD and the other to the projector.
- Two (2) 25 foot blue Impact Acoustic RapidRuns with the HDMI
- Power to the projector
- 8 speakers (two in ceiling rear, three through the stage that we built in front of the screen, and three above the stage for in ceiling L/C/R's incase the home owner didn't want the look of tower speakers)
- Subwoofer cable
I will admit that the customer got a bit of a deal because we also wired the house for 16 zones of audio with digital key pads, built a custom enclosure for the projector, built custom cabinetry, and wired for two plasma TV's and a 6a" DLP. All of which is being purchased from us which was obviously a factor in pricing the prewire. However, for just 5 speakers and a sub, $1K is too much as long as the cable runs aren’t ridiculously long. $850 would be a good price if that includes good materials and 12/2 wire. I will post pics soon.
It might be worth saving a couple of $'s to see what speakers your installer carries and maybe if you go with those you can get a "total system" deal. Also, you usually don't have to use the company the builder suggests (although they won't tell you that unless you ask). Shop around and see if anyone else can come in and do it.
As far as speakers go. A month ago I picked up the Triad line and love them for high end applications. They are an amazing and unique company/product. But on a $2K budget, there is no way a complete surround system can be done with that brand.
BG's are excellent excelent speakers. What I really like about them above and beyond the sound quality is that they are very forgiving to room environments, plus they carry a lifetime warranty. Another big bonus is that they aren't thirsty for power. A receiver in the $800 - $1K range would be perfect. You could do five speakers from BG add a sub from another company and come in around $2K going strictly by MSRP. A smart thing to consider is that you are placing a center channel (in wall I am assuming) above the plasma. BG's provide a great throw from the driver on both the horizontal and vertical plains which would help in that case. I will list a system (along with a budget sub that I like) to consider along with MSRP pricing below.
2 Pair of PD-6 Planar in walls - $600 per pair
http://www.bgcorp.com/productDetail.php?id=34
1 PD-LCR Planar In wall - $500
http://www.bgcorp.com/productDetail.php?id=33
Jamo Sub 6510 - $600
http://jamo.com/Default.aspx?ID=5945&M=Shop&PID=16412&ProductID=16627
Note: The center channel I listed is meant for in-wall installations. If the center is going on a shelf and NOT in-wall a BG Z-5 Center Channel priced at $400 would be the substitute speaker.
http://www.bgcorp.com/productDetail.php?id=2&image=1
NOTE Part 2: You will need to call BG to get the proper measurements for building back boxes for these. It’s easy and relatively inexpensive to do. I highly recommend back boxing any open back in wall or in ceiling speaker.
NOTE Part 3: BG is making minor changes to the PD line. One of the changes is that the mid driver is going to be black in color and not yellow.
Total MSRP: $2,300
You should be able to get this system for around $2K or under.
If your ceiling is not Vaulted (flat) or around 8 - 10ft I would recommend going with something from Jamo or Truaudio brands. You could use in walls for the Front L/R and Rear L/R and for the center use one of their in ceiling LCR speakers. Those are both good quality brands that I have used quite a bit and have no problem recommending at all.
If you had pictures of the room and where the TV was going, I could give better advice. Sorry to offer up so many options.
